Six Trends

Six new trends, this article implies, will have a big impact in future education:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=6870

1. user-created content
2. social networking
3. mobile phones
4. virtual worlds
5. new scholarship and emerging forms of publication
6. massively multiplayer educational gaming

These changes are apparent now, so of course they will be even more prevalent in the future.

Why are these changes going to beneficial?

-They are inexpensive educational tools.
-Everyone has access to these tools.
-This encourages student-centered learning.
-Students use creativity skills.
-This prepares students for skills needed for future jobs.
-Students learn by doing it THEMSELVES.

One quotation I want to point out from reads that technology "opened the doors for almost anyone to become an author, a creator, or a filmmaker." We want students to be active producers in the classroom. They can show their understanding of course material through creating and producing as much as they can by filling in multiple choice quizzes. Don't we want to create a classroom where students are critical thinkers, where they are learning how to become fluent in this ever-changing world, so they can be more prepared for whatever future lies ahead of them?